Hydroplanes of the 80's

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Enjoying the hydroplanes of the 80's. Reminisce about the great rivals The Atlas the bud Cirus Circus, pay n pak miller American and many more the advances that were made and the safety that was innovated

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I have been a fan since the 1950s and it seems to me that the 80's were the beginning of the unlmiteds downturn. The Atlas and Budweiser teams so dominated the sport that potential sponsors turned away. If you look at Jim Sharkey's "Whose Who" you can see how bad it got. In 1981, Bud won 6 of 8 races, in 1982 it was 5 of 9, in 1984 it was 6 of 10. Then Miller won 5 of 9 in 1985 and 5 of 10 in 1986. They finally dropped out after 1987 when they won none, and Bud won 6 of 9. Being a fan of Tom D'Eath I enjoyed the duel of 1990 between him and Chip, but I don't think it was particularly good for the sport. In retrospect, changes probably should have been made in the eighties to keep the competition more even. Maybe the print and tv media would have then paid more attention to the sport, and it wouldn't have contracted as far as it has today.

The rivals Bud Vs. Atlas those were great races. The innovations that came from that era was incredible. I can remember when the 140 mph qualifying lap was made in the Tri-Cities. The competitive spirit between Mr. little and Mr. Muncey was thrilling. With the increase in the speeds and horsepower the enclosed capsule was probable the best innovation that came from that time. After the tragic loss of a couple of our heroes. The enclosed canopy was a innovation that was as important as it comes. The memories of those races from the great Gold Cup in 82 to those thrilling bud atlas duels, and the competive heats with the squire shop and the circus, With the great video vault that the museum has put together we can relive those great battles. My hats off to the men that put the long hours in transferring those films to the vault, because with that I can again enjoy the sport that i love!